Breaking the Bias: How Women Are Impacting Male-Dominated Industries

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March 24, 2022

As we’re nearing the end of Women’s History Month, we see the progress our country has made to elevate women and eliminate barriers to their success, which gives us a lot to celebrate. That said, there’s still a lot more work to be done. Recent findings from the study Women in the Workplace show that women are still significantly underrepresented across all levels of leadership, which not only perpetuates the income disparities between men and women but contributes to the overall stagnation of women in top management roles.

As a partner to more than 1,200 associations, Multiview is privileged to work with a diverse group of organizations that represent women from all occupations and walks of life. When considering what organizations are doing to #BreakTheBias and advocate for women in the workplace, we were excited to learn how change is being made, especially in industries that are historically male-dominated.

For instance, recent media coverage has spotlighted women assuming more leadership roles than ever before in the fire service industry, as well as filling rank and file roles throughout 2021. Fire protection engineering, while traditionally male-dominated, offers many global opportunities where the cultural environment for women professionals varies tremendously. As the fire protection engineering profession has become more well known, its focus on safety and human behavior has been successful in attracting more women to the field, however, women still account for a fraction of the fire protection engineering profession when compared to male colleagues.  

To advocate for the interests of underrepresented individuals and aspiring fire protection professionals, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers was established in 1950. Through its large global chapter network and virtual collaboration platforms, SFPE provides both networking opportunities and valuable industry connections for women in the global fire protection engineering community.

The SFPE's strategic goal of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion permeates all areas of our society – particularly as we select speakers, instructors, panelists, authors, committee members, and leaders. SFPE has made it a priority to foster a community with strong and visible women role models.

- Nicole Boston, CAE, Chief Executive Officer, SFPE

Since its inception, SFPE has grown a network of 4,700 members and over 120 chapters worldwide, including nearly 30 student chapters. In addition to providing members with networking opportunities, SFPE also facilitates presentations and panel discussions featuring women at SFPE conferences, and hosts a “Women in Fire Protection Engineering,” special interest group that convenes women in the field to share resources, successes, and insights regarding the challenges women face in the fire protection industry. Throughout the year, SFPE hosts regular discussions, special events, and expert speakers on topics of interest to women within SFPE’s network.  

All of their initiatives designed to empower women in the fire protection engineering profession has not only increased the number of women joining the SFPE’s member ranks, but also increased the number of women serving in leadership roles. 

Similarly, another male-dominated industry of STEM has increased the attention of women.  Despite the number of women in STEM growing from 32% in 2010 to 34% in 2019, recent studies show that women are leaving the STEM workforce at twice the rate as men. This trend is largely due to microaggressions, and passive hostilities women experience in the STEM field, which can be attributed to societal stereotypes and implicit biases against women within the industry. 

Driven by its goal to advance women in science and STEM-related careers, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) was founded in 1971. While AWIS advocates for equal opportunities and representation for women, the organization also addresses other important issues that affect women within the STEM community such as disparities in hiring, pay, promotions, awards, publishing, and patents. Aside from offering women a sense of community while they work in male-dominated STEM fields, AWIS also offers its members a variety of mentoring, networking, and volunteer leadership opportunities to support the upwards mobility of women in STEM.

One of my favorite quotes is, ‘We may all have the same talent, but we don’t all have the same perspective.’ Women leaders bring a different perspective to their job. Those that understand what it feels like to be marginalized bring a more inclusive mindset…a mindset that is now scientifically proven to be valuable to organizations in the long run.
- Meredith Gibson, Interim Chief Executive Officer, AWIS

Simply put, women bring new perspectives, fresh insights, and valuable knowledge to the table that can elevate the productivity and innovation of their respective workplaces. Not only does the increased representation of women boost company culture standards and morale, but studies have now proven that diverse teams actually yield 19% more revenue, on average. This finding is especially important for tech companies, start-ups, and industries where innovation is the key to sustained growth. Moreover, this study shows that diversity is not just a metric to be strived for, it is a critical part of a successful, revenue generating business. 

Associations have been breaking barriers, precedents, and laying a foundation of standards to be proud of in a variety of industries for hundreds of years. As the fabric of America’s society now leads the way in Breaking the Bias for women in STEM and fire protection engineering professions, they have built strong communities dedicated to the advancement of women.  Through various networking, mentoring, career advancement, and professional development opportunities, associations like AWIS and SFPE have been vital to elevating the voices of women in their industries and opening the door for thousands of other women looking to pursue careers in male-dominated industries.  

 

ABOUT SFPE:
The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) is the world's leading professional society representing those practicing in the field of fire protection and fire safety engineering. It is dedicated to the development and advancement of the use of engineering best practices, as well as expanding the scientific and technical knowledge base, and educating the global fire safety community to reduce future fire risks. The Society has over 4,700 members and over 100 chapters worldwide, including nearly 30 student chapters.


ABOUT AWIS:
With a 50-year history of championing women in science and over 30 grassroots chapters, the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is dedicated to achieving equity and full participation of women in all disciplines and across all employment sectors. Reaching more than 15,000 professionals, AWIS offers opportunities for personal development, recognition, and networking as well as inspiring content and a supportive community that connects members, allies, policymakers, and organizations in order to achieve business growth and social change.

 

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